Legal Hermeneutics and Narrative Scripts

Abstract The Talmudic editors develop the category of lifnim mi-shurat ha-din to address tensions between their own legal and hermeneutic assumptions and the actions or teachings of figures in the rabbinic sources they inherit. They resolve these conflicts by asserting that the figures in question went “off script,” diverging from the normative course of behavior in a particular scenario. This improvisation is understood as case-specific and does not alter existing expectations or establish new precedents. This solution allows the editors to maintain their general legal hermeneutic while still accounting for unusual cases. Their use of the phrase lifnim mi-shurat ha-din in this manner highlights the interplay between legal rules, narrative scripts, role expectations, and decision-making.